There are two WoBs (Words of Brandon) on there being no Shard on First of the Sun, but Patji being a Shard.
For what it’s worth, I wasn’t simply forgetting in this case, but was trying to be cute. Maybe too cute…
I stand by both of them. Though, as always, quotes and WoBs at signings aren’t always as deliberately thought out as I’d like them to be. Answering questions on the fly can be challenging, and my phrasing can be bad in retrospect.
But no shard was in residence on First of the Sun during the events of that story. The investiture on that planet is residue, normal investiture from Adonalsium. Everything happening there could happen with or without a shard present. Indeed, I would say that no shard was ever “in residence” on First of the Sun.
The being called Patji still exists, and is a shard of Adonalsium. Shards in the past have been interested in First of the Sun, and have meddled in small ways there. (Like they have on a lot of Shardworlds.)
Note that I might have been a little misleading in the first quote by bringing up Threnody (the planet in Shadows for Silence), which is a real corner case in the cosmere because of uncommon events there.
That said, I’m sure that every story I write about a planet will bring up the quirks and unusual interactions of the magic there, because that’s kind of what I do. Every planet is likely to end up as a corner case in some way, just like every person is distinctive in their own way, and never fully fits the exact tropes for them. For instance, as pointed out in Arcanum Unbounded, First of the Sun does have its own oddities.
I still consider one of the major dividing lines between “major” and “minor” Shardworlds to be in strength of access to the magic, and control over it. I intend the minor shard worlds to involve interactions with the magic as setting–coming back to spren, you could have a minor Shardworld with people who use, befriend, even bond spren. (Or the local equivalent–Seon, Aviar, etc.) But you’d never see power on the level of the city of Elantris, the actions of a Bondsmith, or even the broad power suite of a Mistborn.
But, as ever, the cosmere is a work in progress. The needs of telling a great story trump things I’ve said about what I’m planning. (I do try as much as I can to avoid having two texts contradict one another. And when they do, that’s often a lapse on my part.)
For reference, here are the two statements in question:
https://wob.coppermind.net/events/103-salt-lake-city-comic-con-2014/#e1010
https://wob.coppermind.net/events/256-oathbringer-london-signing/#e8606